AHCA president: 'There is a way through this'

While this is a particularly challenging time for providers, the American Health Care Association president says he is optimistic about their future.

“I feel fortunate to lead this organization right now. This job really, really matters. The success of AHCA will determine the success of the profession,” Gov. Mark Parkinson, AHCA's president and CE, told McKnight's editor James M. Berklan at the group's 62nd annual convention in Las Vegas last week.

“The unknown is how much the therapy cuts on top of the 11 percent cut will hurt our members. We're working with CMS on that,” Parkinson said. “With respect to the [debt-reduction] super-committee, we have great relationships with many of our members.” These providers have relationships with members of Congress and will “tell our story and to say that we can't take any more cuts,” he said.

Drug substitutions saved the government $13 million last year, but more drug substitutions under Medicare Part B would have saved an additional $6 million, the Office of Inspector General for Health and Human Services concluded in a recent report to Congress.